What is Postgres Binary Protocol Proxying?

Postgres speaks a binary protocol under the hood. Most tools wrap it in drivers, ORMs, or REST layers. Binary protocol proxying means intercepting and forwarding it directly, preserving its speed and low overhead. A proxy handles authentication, query routing, and connection pooling without changing the protocol itself.

Why build a proof of concept?
Before rolling out a production proxy, you need to prove the core idea can handle real traffic. The proof of concept tests raw connection handling, binary message parsing, and end-to-end query execution against a live database. It exposes performance bottlenecks early and verifies compatibility with existing clients.

Key steps in building a Postgres binary protocol proxy POC:

1. Wire-level handling – Open TCP sockets and manage session state per Postgres protocol spec.
2. Startup message parsing – Read initial client parameters, database name, and user credentials.
3. Authentication passthrough – Forward authentication challenges and responses without breaking encryption or trust chains.
4. Query forwarding – Pass simple and extended query messages directly to the backend Postgres instance.
5. Response translation – Relay row data, command tags, and error packets intact, with no alteration.
6. Connection lifecycle – Track client disconnects, backend shutdowns, and cleanup.

Performance and testing strategies
Measure round-trip latency at both packet and query level. Use high-concurrency testing to push limits. Benchmark against native connections to ensure the proxy adds minimal overhead. Confirm behavior with prepared statements, streaming large result sets, and transaction-heavy workloads.

Production considerations revealed by a POC
A working prototype makes hidden issues visible. Network backpressure, memory leaks in session buffers, and edge cases in protocol extensions need solutions before scaling. Observability must be built into the proxy—metrics on active connections, error rates, and throughput should be exposed from day one.

Binary protocol proxying lets Postgres clients talk at full speed. A proof of concept cuts through uncertainty fast. See it live and boot up your own Postgres binary protocol proxy in minutes at hoop.dev.